Inside The Jazz

Exploring Utah Jazz's Chances to Trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Could the Utah Jazz make a blockbuster deal for the Milwaukee Bucks superstar?
Jared Koch|
Apr 10, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) warms up before game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Apr 10, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) warms up before game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

In this story:

Utah JazzMilwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks' latest playoff series loss in now officially in the books after coming up short in five games to the Indiana Pacers, now marking their third-straight first round exit in the row, paired with a grim, bleak future lying ahead for the state of the franchise entirely.

Now, just hours after the Bucks' postseason exit, the hottest topic surrounding the team and what's soon to come for their roster centered around the odds of a potential blockbuster trade of two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Of course, with such a high-end talent having the chance to hit the market, the Bucks could very well have interest from all other 29 teams across the NBA in acquiring the superstar's services if the front office wants to shop him around the league.

And with such a big storyline now set to unravel across this offseason, then comes the question to follow of which team(s) could suit a trade for such a highly-coveted player like Giannis.

For a team such as the Utah Jazz and their possibilities of dealing for Antetokounmpo, it may not look like the most likely outcome on the table. However, when digging a bit beneath the surface, the fit could be a compelling one to draw up.

Could the Jazz realistically be one of few with a chance to land the Bucks' star? Let's dive into it.

How can the Utah Jazz trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo?

In my mind, the Jazz's, or any team's, chances for an Antetokounmpo trade come down to three main factors:

1. Does the team have strong assets to trade to Milwaukee?

2. Can the team trade said assets and still be a championship contender?

3. Would Giannis himself be willing to play with the respective team?

If all three match up, all three major parties involved– the Bucks, the Jazz, and Antetokounmpo himself– all come out as winners, and make a seismic deal like this sensible. And in that scenario, it gives Utah an interesting outlook.

In terms of their assets, they can likely get that box checked. The Jazz have a collection of veterans, young talent, and draft picks to get a framework together to match salaries and get the Bucks a few aspiring pieces to get younger and build for the future.

As to which players Milwaukee could take an interest in, you'd have to look at guys like Walker Kessler, Isaiah Collier, and Keyonte George as some key names, but with six first-round selections across the past two summers, and a couple more set for this offseason, the Bucks brass will have their pick of the litter.

Now, could the Jazz put together a trade package for Antetokounmpo and still manage to put together a competitive roster? That's where it gets tricky.

Utah is fresh off a 17-65 season, coming in as their worst year in over 50 years of the franchise's existence. There are young, budding players in the equation to like when looking toward the future, and perhaps even intriguing enough to have some pull for Milwaukee in a blockbuster like this.

But to put together a massive trade package for Giannis and also build a championship core in the same turnaround– that's a substantial task, even for Danny Ainge.

For an executive like Ainge, though, he has managed to move similar mountains in the past.

In the 2007 offseason, after the Boston Celtics just went 24-58, he guided the moves to land both Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Ray Allen from the Seattle SuperSonics via trade in the same offseason to join Paul Pierce in their big three, eventually leading to their NBA Finals victory that next summer.

That's not to say that the Jazz are bound to make a 2008 Celtics-level run next season, but perhaps a wild and unconventional move isn't totally out of the realm of imagination.

It would take a bevy of other dominoes to fall, and perhaps a miracle of Utah landing the number-one pick to dream up their own big future three of Cooper Flagg, Lauri Markkanen, and Antetokounmpo, and likely a great share of depth to roll out in the rotation behind him. But if there's a will, there's a way.

Then comes the third question in the mix: would Antetokounmpo be susceptible to a move to Salt Lake City?

This one's a bit tougher to project. Antetokounmpo recently had an interesting quote following the Luka Doncic deal to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he mentioned his desire to see more of the NBA's international stars play in big markets, even proposing ideas like seeing Nikola Jokic play for the New York Knicks.

If his feelings on the matter remain the same when drawing up a future trade destination from Milwaukee, clearly, a place like Utah doesn't fit that bill. But, even without a huge market size to cater to a top-end superstar like Giannis, that probably won't be the primary aspect that takes them out of the running.

At the end of the day, a move like this is built to not only give the Bucks a path to a decent future. But, it's also to get a one-of-a-kind league talent like Antetokounmpo to a winning situation for the second title of his career.

Simply, if the Jazz can instill confidence in Milwaukee's star that a championship-level team can be on the horizon, as a competitor, maybe the door can be left open for the move to take place. It might take the perfect storm needing to come together, but to put a 0% chance on the possibility would be disingenuous.

Of course, with the Bucks' first-round series freshly wrapped up, a trade involving Antetokounmpo, especially to Utah, is merely speculation at this point. However, in a hypothetical scenario for the Bucks' superstar to find his way to Salt Lake City, it'd surely be one that could get the Jazz wildly closer to their championship aspirations.

Recommended Articles

Published
Jared Koch
JARED KOCH

Jared Koch is the deputy editor of Utah Jazz On SI. He's covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, contributing to Denver Broncos On SI, Indianapolis Colts On SI, and Sacramento Kings On SI. He has covered multiple NBA and NFL events on site, and his works have also appeared on Bleacher Report, MSN, and Yahoo.

Share on XFollow jjaredkoch
Home/News